Bird's Eye View
by ReaderIndigestion
Summary: Kotori tries to be a matchmaker for two certain friends of hers, who really should have been together by now. NozoEli, KotoUmi.
1. A new year for a new couple?

A/N: Alright, my first story! I've had so many ideas for stories but only now did I get the patience and courage to actually start one. I did plan on releasing the whole fic on one chapter and on Valentine's day, but apparently I'm a slow writer :v . More details and clarifications on the story will be at the end of the chapter. For now, enjoy the story!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: A New Year for a new couple?**

* * *

Kotori has enjoyed her fair share of romance films and novels. She liked it quite a bit actually, as much as the next girl at least, if not more. She might not have the personal experience to back it up, but Kotori's pretty sure she can at least recognize the signs of attraction between two people if she ever saw it.

It comes as a surprise to her when she realizes that she can see those very signs between two of her senpais, her two upperclassmen friends in µ's, Eli and Nozomi. She should have noticed it earlier, really. It makes sense that the two of them would be very close, seeing as they're best friends, much like herself, Honoka, and Umi. However, Kotori would notice something else too, like how their gaze would linger when the other wasn't looking, or when they were subtly different when the other was there. It made Kotori pay attention to their behaviour, just to make sure that it wasn't just her imagination.

Eli was normally like her call-out during their concerts, cool, clever as well as reliable. However, in the presence of Nozomi, as well as her special brand of teasing, she seemed to be more dorky and less cool. Everyone in µ's who knew found the contrast quite cute, actually. Sometimes, Eli based her decisions and opinions on Nozomi's, like that time that Eli pushed for a love song just because Nozomi asked for it, which led to the creation of Snow Halation. She thought very highly of Nozomi, even calling her the goddess of µ's. However true it was, given Nozomi's influence in creating the group, it seemed like a compliment that was rather romantic for best friends to be giving to each other.

Nozomi was often far more mysterious and unreadable, so guessing her feelings was more difficult to decipher. What Kotori would notice, isn't what Nozomi did, or rather, it was what she didn't do. Nozomi's special Washi Washi attack was a force to be reckoned with among µ's. It was her unusual way of punishing the misbehaving and/or overexcited members of µ's. The Idiot Trio of Honoka, Rin, and Nico was quite used to being on the receiving end of it, and Hanayo and herself was a victim to it once or twice before. Even Maki and Umi weren't left unscathed, Maki was apparently groped by Nozomi before µ's had fuly formed, and in Umi's case, well, Kotori wasn't sure what exactly happened, other than that it happened during sub-unit practice, and it was something about mountains.

That wasn't the case for Eli though, she was never groped by Nozomi, not even once that anyone else could recall. It wasn't as though she didn't have a reason, Eli sometimes gets excited and childish too, especially when it involved chocolate. Eli didn't exactly escape Nozomi though, as Nozomi would double her usual teasing for everyone just for Eli, leaving her flustered and red.

Despite everything Kotori could see from the two, she still had a bit of doubt when it comes to the two. For all she knew, it might just be a misinterpretation on her part and the two of them might really just be friends, but after recalling an certain incident, she almost had no doubts that any feelings between them wasn't just purely platonic .

Kanda Shrine

A few days past New Year's, The girls had all agreed to meet at the local shrine to pray for blessings and make wishes, as is tradition. The second years had arrived after Eli and Nico got there,who was quickly followed by Rin and Hanayo, who was trailed by Maki. Nozomi was already there of course, since she was the maiden there, after all. They waited a bit for the crowd to thin out, as the lines were long and they helped Nozomi with some of the shrine work. Once most of the people had cleared out, they went and prayed for good fortune and made their wishes.

"I wished for more ramen, and for success, nya!" Rin told them.

"Can't you just get more from the store?" Nico asked.

"Eh, you can't buy success from the store, silly Nico-chan!" Rin completely missed the point.

"That's not- Ah, forget it." Nico just facepalmed.

Seeing as everyone was basically done, Nozomi called out to all of them.

"Alright, looks like everyone's done making their wish-"

"Wait!" Rin interrupted. "You didn't say what yours was, Nozomi-chan!"

"Yeah, I don't think I heard you, Nozomi." Maki said.

"Eh, my wish?"

"Yeah, It wouldn't be fair if we all said ours and you didn't, right?" Nico said

To everyone's surprise, Nozomi suddenly looked bashful.

"But…. It's embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?" Honoka echoed.

"Somehow I feel your personality switched." Nico narrowed her eyes. It was weird, seeing Nozomi be unlike herself.

"Sorry, forgive me! If I say it, I'll just end up causing problems for someone!" Nozomi tried to explain. She couldn't say what her wish was, for some reason.

"Eh?"

"Problems? Exactly what kind of wish did you ask for?" Eli questioned. Nozomi turned to face her.

"I'm sorry, Elicchi, forgive me!"

Now very curious, Eli approached Nozomi, trying to make her say what that wish was.

"No way, say it or I'll have to use force- ah!"

On her way to Nozomi, her foot snagged on a rock, tripping her forwards and taking Nozomi down with her.

"Ah, Eli-chan! Nozomi-chan!"

As everyone expressed their surprise, Eli tried to collect herself and she realized what she done. The both of them were sprawled on the ground, Nozomi was under her and their legs were somehow tangled together. Their faces were close, much too close to each other. She could almost feel Nozomi's breath on her face as her emerald eyes gazed unsteadily at her own blue eyes. If she just leant a little closer-

"Move…" Nozomi managed to breathe out.

"Ah! Sorry!" Realizing what she had almost done, Eli leaned away from Nozomi, trying to untangle themselves.

"Hurry and get off me! Or I… I won't be able to hold myself back anymore!" Nozomi exclaimed.

"E-eh?" Eli said, stunned at what Nozomi just said.

"EHHH?" Everyone exclaimed, wondering if they had misheard or something.

"The truth is..." Nozomi began, propping herself up into a sitting position and putting some distance between her and Eli. Her face had tinges of pink, and her eyes seemed to dart everywhere except at the blonde in front of her. "My wish is... to convey my feelings to Elicchi!"

Everyone was completely dumbstruck by this revelation.

"W-wh-what? What do you mean?" Eli stuttered out.

"Eh? That means... Nozomi-chan's feelings for Eli-chan-" Honoka muttered.

"Kyahhh!" Kotori squealed at the events taking place, while Umi covered her face, muttering _SHAMELESS_ into her hands. Hanayo gasped, covering her mouth as she did. Rin on the other hand, had a grin splitting her face but didn't say anything. Maki had a look of surprise that could've matched Nico's, except Nico had her jaw dropped, as she was seriously amazed at what was happening between her two best friends.

"Wouldn't it make for an interesting moment if things turned out like that?" Nozomi smiled like her normal self again, as if she hadn't been blushing like a new bride just a few minutes ago.

"EHH?"

"Wha- Nozomi? You were just joking?" Eli said, completely in disbelief at the purple-haired girl's words.

" Eh, it wasn't a joke. Eli-chan, I like you~" Nozomi replied with a closed eye grin. That was enough to bring Eli over the edge.

"NOOOOZOOOMIII! How could you?! It's just the New Year and - GET BACK HERE!" Eli ran after Nozomi, chasing the purple-haired girl who quickly fled.

"Kyah! Elicchi's love hurts!"

"NOZOMIII!"

Seeing as everything looked like it was back to normal, the others breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was really surprising, right?" Hanayo said.

"Seriously, Nozomi's jokes are too convincing." Umi agreed.

" What if it wasn't just a joke?" Kotori quietly said.

"Huh?" Honoka and Umi turned to Kotori, wondering what she was talking about.

"Maybe Nozomi-chan loves Eli-chan, and she just can't say it, so she acts like it was a joke to fool Eli-chan!" Kotori explained.

"Woah."

"I didn't think you thought about it that way, Kotori."

Kotori didn't reply. She was deep in thought, her mind was now filled with a great idea. She had never thought about doing something like this before, but now that she had the opportunity, it was exciting. She was going to give her two upperclassmen the push they need to take their relationship to the next level.

Umi was getting slightly worried now. She was already used to being pulled into Honoka's antics, so recognizing an idea forming in someone's head became a useful skill in Umi's repertoire. She was used to seeing a particular look in Honoka's face when she had one of those plans that were either a spectacular success or a spectacular failure, but seeing that look on Kotori?

"Kotori?" Umi hesitantly called out.

Kotori responded with a smile that sent chills up Umi's spine, and not the chills she would usually get with Kotori's smile.

Why?

Because that was a smile of someone with an idea.

* * *

A/N : Okay, that was the first chapter. I got this idea (and most of the plot/ dialogue) from a Love Live New Year's Mini Audio drama that I found somewhere. Credits to all those who translated it for the rest of us who can't speak Japanese.

This fic _slightly_ deviates from the anime, an AU of sorts, in that sub-units are a thing and the third years haven't graduated yet. It follows the IRL release of the songs more, really (not really), So some songs might be here, some might not, like at very least the ones during and after the LL movie.

I still have some things to work out for the story, because I'm making it up the details as I go along. I'll try to write chapter 2 in about a week or two if exams don't kill me, and I have no idea how long this will be. Learning experiences and all that

Leave a review/criticism if you can! Tell me about any typographical errors and grammar issues you can find, because I hate it when I make typos.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Helping Hand

A/N: Finally got around to finishing chapter 2! I thought I'd never finish this chapter, I'm struggling to characterize the members of µ's, mostly the ones that aren't either NozoEli or Kotoumi, but even then I have a hard time. Formatting's a mess too.

Once again, explanations and clarifications at the end of the chapter, because I don't like long author's notes at beginning of a story, but I don't like it when it's not there because it's like a book without any auxillary pages.

Anyway, Enjoy this chapter with almost 2x more words than the first one!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: Helping Hand**

* * *

Kotori had a plan.

No, she lied.

She didn't _have_ a plan, she had an idea, it just wasn't fully planned out yet.

She wasn't all that great at planning things out, that was more Umi or Honoka's thing, despite what Honoka's impulsive tendencies might tell you. She could make clothing designs sure, but unlike her fabrics, people have minds of their own, and things definitely don't always go the way it was planned. She was just one person who was planning to get two people together, and she didn't have the planning skills to back it up. _Wait a minute._ Kotori realized.

She _was_ just one person, but she didn't have to do everything herself. She'll get help from her friends.

She's going to get help from µ's.

* * *

A few weeks have passed since the incident at the shrine, µ's was hard at work. With exams done, they were practicing hard for a special Valentine's Day concert. Right now, they were divided into their respective sub-units in different practice areas so that they'd all focus. BiBi got the rooftop, while lily white went to the courtyard, leaving Printemps in the Idol Research clubroom. It gave Kotori a good opportunity to ask her friends about Nozomi and Eli.

"Honoka-chan, Hanayo-chan?"

"Mmph?" Honoka's attention was torn away from the bread she was eating, while Hanayo rummaged around her bag, looking up at Kotori once she found her homemade lunch of riceballs. Kotori stood in front of the two with a smile as she began.

"Since we're having a break right now, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Kotori-chan, what is it?" Honoka and Hanayo sat up a little straighter, wondering what Kotori was going to ask them.

"What do you think about Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan's relationship?"

"Eh?" They didn't really expect that.

Kotori gazed expectantly at both of them. The two glanced at each other before pondering an answer to her question.

"Well, they are pretty close..." Honoka slowly said, still unsure why Kotori was asking.

"I-I agree, they care for each other a lot." Hanayo said. Kotori noticed that her face was slightly pink, making her grin slightly. Maybe she wasn't the only one thinking about it.

"Eh, I think Nozomi and Eli like each other!" Kotori said with a wide smile. Honoka and even Kotori was surprised when Hanayo's face instantly turned red.

"K-Kotori-chan, you think so too?" Hanayo said. She seemed to be holding back, like she was gonna explode. Kotori nodded to answer her question.

"Ahh! Goodness, I thought I was the only one!" Hanayo finally burst out. Kotori grinned widely, happy to have someone on the same page.

"Right? I thought I was just seeing things-"

"Yes! I know! I thought something was up-"

"Uh, Kotori-chan? Hanayo-chan?" Honoka cut in. She now slightly knew what Umi felt like when Rin and Honoka herself goes off like that. The two girls realized how loud they were and calmed down.

"Sorry, Honoka-chan. I guess we got a bit excited." Kotori laughed, slightly embarassed.

"It's okay, it feels a bit like déjà vu, actually." Honoka said. "What are you guys talking about anyway? I couldn't understand a single word you were saying."

Kotori and Hanayo glanced at each other and back at Honoka. Kotori explained, in better detail, what they were talking about.

" You see, Honoka-chan, we've sorta... noticed Nozomi and Eli act differently around each other, and we're pretty sure that they have feelings for each other." Kotori said, Hanayo nodding in agreement.

"Eh, really?"

"Yeah, remember what happened when we went to the shrine on New Year?" Kotori said.

"Ah, that!... what happened again ?" _As expected of Honoka_. Kotori and Hanayo chuckled. The two quickly gave the best summary they could about what happened the past New Year.

"Ohhh, now it make sense. By the way, Kotori-chan, why'd you ask about it in the first place?"

"The reason I asked about it is because I wanted to ask for help. I want to help Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan get together." Kotori said. Although rather surprised by her declaration, when they saw how determined she was to make it happen, they agreed on helping.

"That sounds like an amazing idea! Of course we'll help!"

Kotori gave a wide smile on hearing that response. She really was lucky to have great friends.

* * *

Convincing Printemps was one thing, but the other sub-units were a different problem. It wasn't that Kotori wouldn't be able to convince them, in fact Kotori was pretty sure that she could. No, the problem was the very two people Kotori was trying to help. With Eli in BiBi, and Nozomi in lily white, she'd have a harder time talking to the remaining members in their subunits without the two noticing. That meant that she'd have to find a way to talk to the other two members while they were away.

 _But how though?_ Kotori wondered. _Lure them away? No, I don't think I'll be able to do that._

Deep in thought, Kotori kept walking and failed to notice someone heading her way until she literally bumped into them.

"Oh, what's gotten you thinking Kotori-chan?" Spoke a particular someone with a particular dialect.

"N-Nozomi-chan!" Kotori didn't expect to literally run into her of all people.

"Are you okay? You seem to be thinking a lot lately." said Nozomi. Her expression showed that, although curious, she still worried in her own way about Kotori.

"Y-yeah, I was just thinking about new designs for µ's." It made Kotori a bit guilty, lying to Nozomi, but she knew that it was for her sake and Eli's sake. Nozomi smiled.

"Hey, Nozomi-chan, are you done with practice? Have you seen Umi-chan?" _and Rin,_ Kotori internally added. It might seem weird if she asked for two-thirds of lily white without having Nozomi around.

"Oho? And why are you looking for Umi?" Nozomi said in a tone that flustered Kotori. _Maybe I said too much._ She thought.

"O-oh, it's nothing, I just wanted to talk to her, that's all."

"Hmm…" Nozomi's smirk didn't leave her face. Thankfully she decided to drop the topic, and told her. "She's with Rin at the courtyard, working on Rin's singing parts."

"Oh, thanks Nozomi-chan!" Kotori said gratefully.

"No problem, I'll be going then." Nozomi replied, turning to leave.

"Eh? Where to, Nozomi-chan?" Curious, Kotori asked.

"The shrine head asked me to help out, so I'm heading out early." Nozomi explained.

"Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow then, Nozomi-chan!" Kotori turned to head for the courtyard.

"Alright, bye Kotori-chan!" Nozomi said just as she rounded the corner out of Kotori's sight.

 _This is perfect timing!_ Kotori thought. This was her best chance to talk to Umi and Rin without Nozomi around to hear her plans.

* * *

Kotori arrived at the courtyard, only to find Rin grinning widely at an astonishingly red-faced Umi, who looked like she wanted to dissolve into the ground.

"Umi-chan? Rin-chan?"

"Uwah, Kotori-chan, nya!" Rin's smile grew wider, if that was possible.

"K-K-Kotori?!" Umi's reaction was unexpected coming from her, and it only made Kotori more curious than she already was from her red face. Kotori decided to ask anyway.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Funny thing, we were actually just talking about y-mmph?!" Rin was cut off as Umi scrambled to cover her mouth. "NOTHING, IT WAS NOTHING AT ALL!" Umi shouted, Rin still struggling against Umi's hands.

It most definitely wasn't nothing at all. Whatever it was, it certainly got Umi to be like that, and Kotori certainly wanted to find out what it was. At times like this, it was time to pull out her greatest weapon.

"Umi-chan..." Her voice implored. Her eyes glistened, as if begging for an answer. Her hands were clasped, kept close to her chest.

This was her ultimate power, the famed power of the puppy dog eyes. Her mastery of the eyes was unlike any other. For now, she hadn't used its full strength, because Umi wouldn't be able to handle the full power of the eyes.

"Uuu..." She could almost hear Umi's resolve crack. Umi dared not to look directly into her gaze, yet its effects pierced through her.

"I- I was worried about you, because you were thinking a lot lately, so I thought there was something wrong." Umi finally answered. She released Rin from her clutches.

"Oh." Kotori simply answered. She didn't think Umi would notice. It made her happy, even if she was sure it was only her concern as a friend. She came close and hugged Umi, sending her into a new wave of blushes.

"Thank you for worrying, but nothing's wrong at all. Honest." said Kotori.

"Thank goodness." Umi smiled. It made Kotori feel warm all over.

"By the way, what are you doing here anyway?" Rin asked.

"Uwa!" Kotori may have slightly forgotten Rin was there. "Uh, that's right! I was going to ask you about something!"

"About what, nya?"

" What do you think about Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan's relationship?" Kotori could see Rin thinking hard. Umi's brow was furrowed, thinking about it as well.

"They are pretty close.."

"They're best friends, of course they would be..."

Kotori sighed. She'd forgotten that Rin was Rin, and despite Umi's intelligence, she was also dense about people's feelings.

"Well, you're both right on that, but I was expecting something like how Hanayo thought." Kotori said.

"Eh, what did Kayo-chin do, nya?" Rin reacted to Kotori's words.

"To be honest, lately, I've been thinking that Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan have feelings for each other." Kotori said. Rin and Umi didn't really react to her words, though.

"Eh..." Then the implications finally managed to sink in.

"Uuehhh?!" Rin burst out, Umi was almost as shocked, but she retained her composure, mostly anyway, seeing as her face was turning pink.

"Are you sure, Kotori? L-like 'love' feelings?" Umi stammered out. Kotori just smiled.

"Yep! That's why..." Rin and Umi settled down, wondering what Kotori was going.

"I want to help them get together!" Kotori determinedly said, gazing into the distance. Umi got very familiar alarm bells ringing in her mind from the aura Kotori was emitting right now.

"Koto-" Before Umi could say anything, Kotori turned to the two members of lily white with a sparkle in her eyes.

"I want to ask for your help." Kotori's stare was very difficult to get away from.

"Oooh, I'll help, nya!" Rin seemed to be completely on-board with it. Kotori's full gaze was now directed at Umi.

"..I'll support you to the best of my ability!" Umi said, feeling any trace of resistance and dignity fading away.

Kotori's smile couldn't be bigger.

* * *

Now that lily white has been convinced of her plans, all that was left was to convince BiBi, that is, Nico and Maki. Kotori wasn't sure how well it would go, considering Nico had known Nozomi and Eli longer than anyone in µ's. She just hoped that Eli wasn't around.

"- I told you,-"

"-Hah? I don't get you-"

On her way up the stairs, Kotori heard a pair of voices arguing on their way down the stairs. _Could it be_? Quickening her pace up the stairs, Kotori found Maki and Nico on the staircase platform doing what they do best: arguing with each other.

"That's a stupid idea." Maki retorted from whatever idea Nico came up with.

"What do you mean, it's a stupid idea? It's a great idea! I seriously think- Oh, perfect timing Kotori!" Nico interrupted, seeing Kotori on the steps below.

"Eh?" Now Kotori was getting confused, what did she do?

"Kotori, would a tail work?" asked Nico, heading down to her level with Maki in tow.

" A tail?" That just confused her even more. What topic would even talk about tails in the first place?

"Yeah, a cat tail. I was wondering if putting a tail on our costumes would work, since one of our songs about cats and all." Nico clarified.

"What? You're the one who made Cutie Panther in the first place!"

"No, I just helped, Eli did-."

"It could work." Kotori muttered loud enough to catch both of their attentions. _I haven't done anything like tails before. It could be fun. Maybe wings, too, eventually?_ She had decided. " If it's me, I can do something like that!" Kotori puffed out her chest in pride. She was confident enough in her sewing skills to try something new.

"See, Maki? Kotori agrees with me." Nico bragged. Maki was completely unimpressed.

"What the heck? I don't get you." Maki's catchphrase came out. Kotori opted to change the topic before a bigger argument could rise up.

"So before anything else, have you seen Eli-chan?"

"Oh, she headed to the student council to get finish some paperwork. Why, do you need to talk to her or something?" Nico said. Maki just stood by the staircase railing, sulking.

"It's the opposite actually." Kotori didn't bother asking them about their opinions on Nozomi and Eli's relationship, knowing that Nico and Maki probably agree with Kotori anyway. "Can you help me help Nozomi and Eli get together?"

"It's about time someone thought to do something about those two!" Nico's reaction was surprising but not unexpected to Kotori. After all, she'd probably been feeling like the third wheel in her long friendship with the two.

"For once, I agree with Nico-chan. Those two have been troublesome for as long I've known them." Maki agreed. She had also become rather close with Nozomi and Eli, during the time they've been making Snow Halation.

"Alright, I've talked to the others, we'll meet up somewhere- Oh no."

"What is it, Kotori?" Maki asked.

"Eli-chan's coming! I-I'll just text you the address and time, don't tell Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan!" Kotori saw Eli approaching from the end of the hall and scrambled down the stairs before Nico and Maki could react nor even notice Eli coming.

"...For a while there, Kotori was acting a lot like Honoka." Maki said.

"Yeah, it was kinda creepy- Hey wait a sec, what did you mean you agree with me for once?" Nico snapped. They were back to arguing again, now that Kotori was gone.

"Yeah, considering how terrible your ideas often are." Maki retorted

"WHAT?! My ideas are not terrible, they're fantastic!"

"Half of them are centered around you, that's why they're terrible."

"How dare you-"

"Cut it out, both of you." Eli cut the two off before their argument could escalate. " Was that Kotori? What were you talking about?" She asked. Nico and Maki glanced at each other, remembering her words.

"Kotori just settled an argument that I WON." Nico proudly answered.

"You didn't win, Kotori just agreed to make the tails for you." Maki scoffed.

"That's what a loser would say." Nico retorted. Maki fell for her provocations, anyway.

"I'm not a loser, you're the loser!" Maki shot back childishly.

Eli just sighed as their argument began anew. She knew what she signed up for when she became the leader of BiBi, and she regretted that decision just for this one very compelling reason.

Out of sight of Eli, Kotori skipped happily out the school gates, since part one of her plan was successful.

 _And so begins the planning!_

* * *

 _A/N:  
_  
That was seriously a doozy to write. This went through at least 2 incarnations, both in typing and writing, and I'll probably end up unsatisfied or even rewriting a bit of it once I reread this. (I'm lazy so probably not)

So, that was the recruitment chapter! Someone wrote that I should make original content, which I am, I just used source material as a foundation because I find it easier. So don't worry, anyone who thought the same thing, I'll have more original fluff to share with you once I've gotten a bit of momentum up. I will be making a chapter focused on Umi by the end of the story proper, but if I tell you what it's about it might be ruined. You could probably guess what it's about though.

Self-criticism time :

I'm having problems giving dialogue to certain characters, particularly Honoka, Rin, Hanayo, and especially Maki. I feel that my perception on their characters have been influenced by fanon and AUs, which I don't really want to do. Not that I have a problem with it in itself, but I think I need to be consistent with their personalities. (Although I did base a part of Hanayo's personality on a fancomic based on Garasu no Hanazono.)

Other than the likely OOC members of µ's, I really think I should add a bit more description to the setting around the characters, as well as their emotions. Emotions, I can hopefully justify by saying that right now the POV focuses on Kotori most of the time, only occasionally changing POV when the scene changes. Occasionally.

I also think I need a bit more 'meat' to the paragraphs, but I don't think I can adapt to that particular style of writing.

I also have problems with the formatting in sometimes (a lot of times) because I'm not used to it either. I don't like using bold in any document, FF or otherwise except for headers.

End self-criticism.

Anyways, I based the line about tails on BiBi 's outfit during the LoveLive! 2014 Endless Parade concert, or, BiBi's outfit on the title screen of the EN version of LLSIF.

There was that one really obscure reference to the Idolized White Day ver. outfits about the wings, mostly due to the thought that, _HOW DOES KOTORI EVEN MAKE THOSE?  
_

I should wrap up my rant for now, because this chapter was done half in one week and half in last 2 days, so my thoughts are scrambled right now.

Next update should be in about 2-3 weeks, a bit longer than this one, but I have an important exam coming up so I'll have to take time off. To those who want more, please bear with me for a while.

That's all for now, if you enjoyed the chapter and the story, leave a review, follow and favorite, or not. This is a piece of text, not the police.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Planning and Parental Guidance

_A/N: I'm trying something different this time, so the chapter will be a bit longer and drawn-out. Leave a review to tell me what you think! Clarifications and explanations are at the end, as always._

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: Planning and Parental Guidance**

* * *

The ring of the doorbell woke Kotori from her slumber. Checking her clock, it was only half past eight in the morning. Odd, she could've sworn she told the others that they'd meet up at her house at around 9:30, to give her and the other members time to sleep in a little on the weekend.

Pushing the covers off herself, Kotori heard the creak of the door opening and muffled voices downstairs. Along with the voice of her mother, an energetic voice and a quiet, yet firm voice indicated the arrival of her two best friends Honoka and Umi.

Kotori quickly changed her pajamas into a set of light casual clothes, tidied up her room and headed downstairs to the living room. There, she found a scene she wouldn't have expected to happen.

On the couch, she found Honoka grinning at Umi, whose face was currently blushing up a storm. Her mother was sitting on the arm chair beside the couch, smiling innocently.

 _Wh-what? It's only been 5 minutes since they got here. What happened?!_ Kotori thought. Turning to the likely culprit, she almost accusingly asked.

"Mom, what happened?!"

"What do you mean? I only asked Umi a few questions, that's all." She answered innocuously. Kotori narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"What kind of questions?" She tried to pry.

"Oh, I was simply asking her about you. After all, I can't always keep an eye on you." Her mother replied, her innocent facade not even cracking.

Pouting at her answer, Kotori turned to the only other person able to shed light on the situation.

"Well, she's not exactly wrong." Honoka unhelpfully supplied, followed by a crooked grin. Umi seemed to be recovering from whatever Kotori's mom said, although her gaze was still unfocused and traveled everywhere around the room except directly at Kotori.

Kotori lowly gave a defeated sigh. Her mother was often like this. Outside of school, her stern principal personality was nearly non-existent, and was replaced by a much more casual, caring mother's disposition. This also meant she was up for motherly teasing, leading to situations like this. Of course, most of µ's didn't know that, as they rarely see her outside of school anyway.

"Alright, you girls can head upstairs now, I'll just get the door for when the others arrive for you." Mrs. Minami offered. Kotori brightened up, grabbing Honoka and Umi , who promptly turned red at the physical contact, by the hands and pulled them upstairs.

* * *

"Woah..." Honoka breathed.

"It's lovely, Kotori." Umi said more articulately, now fully recovered from the incident downstairs. The two were admiring Kotori's bedroom, looking around inside.

"Hehe, you think so?" Kotori blushed at their praise. She took pride in keeping her room clean, cute and comfortable. Her sewing supplies were kept organized in her drawer, and her fabrics stuffed the inside of a wooden chest next to it. Her study table opposite doubled as her sewing platform. The sewing machine was set aside and replaced with a neat stack of books and notebooks, along with a few picture frames. Her closet was filled with clothes in a variety of styles, some of which were sewn by herself. Her bed sat across the doorway, and was covered by a plain pastel sheet. Her room was colored in a very homely fashion and gave off a warm feeling. Overall, it felt very much like Kotori herself.

"Sorry I don't any extra chairs, so would you mind sitting on the bed for a while and we'll all sit on the floor once the others get here?" Kotori asked.

"Of course, Kotori-chan! Hehe, it's just like middle school again!" Honoka gushed, remembering the last time they visited Kotori's house. They rarely visited her house, often going to Honoka's house instead. The rest of µ's hasn't even visited yet, so this would be their first time, except for Nozomi and Eli that is, as they don't know of their meeting here.

The three sat on Kotori's bed waiting for the others to arrive. They discussed past fun memories they had together, laughing as they recalled Honoka's old antics, while she unashamedly defended herself. It was a short while before the doorbell rang again, and a new slew of voices could be heard downstairs. Kotori counted four voices, meaning the rest had arrived together. The group headed upstairs and Kotori moved to open the door to greet them.

"Hey guys!"

"Hiya, Kotori-chan, ooh, it's Umi-chan and Honoka-chan too, nya!"

"H-hi, guys."

"Hey, guys."

"Hey."

Rin was the first to greet them, followed by Hanayo and Nico then finally Maki. The four of them seemed to appreciate the looks of the room as well, complimenting Kotori on her taste.

With the arrival of the last four members, Kotori and the others sat in a circle on the center of the room, beginning the meeting.

"Alright, let's begin!" Kotori said. As she did, she pulled out a notepad and wrote 'NozoEli Ideas' on top. "So, anyone got any ideas?"

"Oooh, I do!" Rin raised her hand, as if she was reciting in class." What if… we planted love letters in their lockers addressed to each other?"

"That's not gonna work." Nico immediately shot down her idea. "Those two lovebirds have lockers next to each other." Upon hearing that, Rin deflated, but cheered up when Hanayo reassuringly patted her head.

"What about a love song?" Hanayo suggested." If we can make it a duet for the two, maybe it'll make them realize their feelings for each other."

The group's heads turned to Maki, who slightly flinched at their gazes "D-don't look at me like that!"

She turned her reddened face away. "Anyway, I can probably make something up, so the problem isn't with me."

At that, Umi paled, realizing what she meant. The others also realized, and turned their attentions to her.

"NO, I REFUSE!" She yelled. She would never dare to write something so utterly embarrassing.

"Eh, didn't you say you'll support Kotori-chan to the 'best of your ability'?" Rin said with a catty grin. _How did she remember that?_ Umi internally cursed.

" Not with something s-so s-shameless!" She said. Kotori sympathetically smiled, and decided to let Umi off.

"Guys, let's not force Umi to do something she doesn't want to do." Kotori defended. The others stopped their assault, and calmed down. Umi gave a sigh of relief, not noticing Kotori write the idea on the notepad.

"I have an idea!" Honoka said next, continuing the pace of their discussion. "I saw this in a movie once!"

The others, mostly Nico, Maki and Umi, were already skeptical.

"We trap them in an elevator, and time they spend together alone will develop into them realizing their feelings for each other! It's foolproof!" Honoka proudly said.

"Honoka." Umi blankly said. "Our school doesn't have elevators."

"Oh, right. So that just means we'll trap them in a classroom instead!" Honoka rambled. "Of course there's windows-"

"We are not trapping Nozomi and Eli in a room." Umi finally said. Honoka opened her mouth to argue but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Maki, closest to the door, opened it to reveal Mrs. Minami in an apron balancing a tray on her hands .

" What's this about trapping our school's student council in a room?" She inquired. Her expression was serious, and Honoka, Rin, and Nico suddenly felt dread. "You might not be thinking of doing something that's against school policy, are you?"

"Ah, no ma'am! We were just- we weren't- nghh.." Honoka was at a loss for words, and she mentally cursed that she forgot Kotori's mom was the principal. Rin and Nico weren't unaffected however, as they felt as if they'll be punished alongside her for an unknown reason. The rest were silent, but Kotori simply looked amused.

The three squirmed in their seats, feeling the piercing gaze of the principal in an apron, until her expression changed into a sly grin.

"Oh, I was just joking! Kotori told me about what you were planning for." Mrs. Minami said, stepping into the room. Maki moved aside as she placed the tray, filled with cookies and biscuits, into the center of their circle. The four members of µ's was rather surprised at her casual attitude, but it was a welcome change to her stern attitude at school.

"Eh, so we're not in trouble?" Rin hesitantly asked.

"Of course not. But I'm afraid I can't make an exception for locking those two in a room together, that goes against certain school rules." Honoka brightened up, and immediately was the first to grab a cookie.

"Mmm, this is so good! Mrs. Minami, you're the one who taugh' Ko'ori baking righ'?" She asked, crumbs of cookies falling out of her mouth.

"Honoka! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Umi admonished. Mrs. Minami just chuckled.

"Yes, but I think after all these years, the master has been overtaken by the apprentice."

Kotori smiled at her mother's compliments, and the group grabbed a cookie of their own, Honoka already on her second.

"Mom, since you're here, do you have an ideas on how to get Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan together?" Kotori thought to ask. Her mother just smiled and waved her off.

"Oh, I'm too old for those kinds of things, and I can't meddle with student affairs, can I?" She replied.

"Then what do you think of their relationship then?" Kotori continued. Mrs. Minami sighed, amused by her daughter's persistence.

"Well, those two complement each other very well. They've worked in the student council since they got to Otonokizaka, and I've noticed how they behave around each other." She pondered a little. "It's almost troublesome, really. I'm honestly surprised they don't have that kind of relationship. Since it's an all-girls school, romantic relationships between girls isn't unheard of."

The seven girls shouldn't have been surprised by her insight, after all, she is the principal of their school for a few years, and she graduated from the school herself. Rin thought of a question to ask Principal Minami and, before she could stop herself, blurted it out.

"Um, have you had a relationship with a girl before, Principal Minami?"

Silence immediately ensued. The question didn't sink in to everyone until a good five seconds later.

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo squeaked. Said orange-haired girl's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. Nico's jaw was dropped, and Maki facepalmed, moaning at the absurdity of Rin's question. Umi was torn between becoming flustered and blushing, or angry and strangling her fellow Lily white member. Honoka sat there with a cookie in her mouth, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

 _You can't ask a question like that to MY MOM!_ Kotori bellowed in her head, her mouth unable to actually articulate her words.

"Yes, actually. Long before I had Kotori." Principal Minami responded, only slightly surprised at the unexpected question.

An even deeper silence enveloped the room.

"Eh?"

"EHHHH?!" The group was entirely stunned, none moreso than Kotori, who didn't know about it either.

"R-really, Mom? W-who was it?" Kotori dared ask the question that was in all of their heads. Mrs. Minami rested her chin on her finger, pondering a little.

"Well, I don't want to tell you her name." Her expression was somewhat mischievous, and she was slowly making her way out of the room.

"Maybe I'll let you guess." Her eyes and her mouth curved into a sly grin. The group was somehow reminded of Nozomi, if Nozomi happened to be older and the principal of their school.

" I remember her having beautiful long red hair." Her smile was warm and nostalgic, but quickly returned to mischief. " And she had a cute daughter a year younger than Kotori. That's all, enjoy your cookies!"

With those final parting words, she closed the door and quickly headed back downstairs, leaving the seven members of µ's to deal with the several bombshells of revelations she gave them.

The group was entirely silent. Honoka completely stopped her devouring of cookies, crumbs falling from her mouth from her last. Nico, Rin, and Hanayo all had similar expressions of shock, their mouths agape.

Umi's face was cycling varying shades of red, her expression a mix of shock, embarrassment, and realization. Maki was twitching, having realized the implications , and was wondering about the possibility of having an older sister.

Kotori looked like she completely shut down from her mother's words. Her head was slowly drooped to the side, bringing her body with her. Her head landed on the lap of Umi, who immediately stopped her impression of the sun setting and looked at her with concern.

"Kotori? Are you alright?" She asked.

"My mom… She's too much." Kotori could only say.

Everyone was quick to agree.

* * *

"S-so, does anyone have any new ideas?" Maki tried to restart the discussion, her fingers quickly twirling her hair.

It was quite some time before everyone recovered enough to continue their planning. The seven was still slightly dazed at the words of their principal. Kotori managed to make the most of the situation, as her head was comfortably settled on Umi's lap, who didn't seem to protest, idly stroking Kotori's hair.

"Actually, I've been thinking..." Nico began, her gaze focused on Kotori.

"You can do that?" Maki immediately shot back, which annoyed Nico.

"Shut up, I'm serious." The rest perked up at that, wondering what was on Nico's mind.

"Why is this so important to you, Kotori?" Nico questioned her intentions.

"Well..." Kotori sat up to properly answer her question.

"At first I thought it'd be fun to become a matchmaker, to be honest. But after a while I realized it too, why did I choose to try and make Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan a couple? Because they'll be happier."

"Happier?" Nico wasn't quite satisfied with Kotori's answer.

"Yep, remember when Nozomi told us about when she was a child and how lonely she said she was? And how Eli didn't have anyone other than her family when she moved to Japan?"

"Yeah..." Nico slowly realized where she was going with this.

"Well although things are different now with us around, I feel like having that special someone in your life to be together with is a different kind of happiness from friendship. If we can let that happen with Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan, then that's a good thing, right?"

"Hmm.." Nico hummed. She was impressed at the thought Kotori put into this.

"Kotori..." Umi uttered. The others were just as astounded as Umi was.

"Good answer. Alright, now answer me this," Nico smirked. Seems like she had another question to ask. "Those two dorks have known each other for three years, what makes you think they'll end up together now?"

Kotori didn't even have to think about the answer.

"Because they have us now." She simply responded.

"Hoh.." Nico's smirk turned to a genuine smile. Kotori passed the test Nico felt she had to give, as the other best friend of Nozomi and Eli.

"Sounds like I didn't have to worry after all."

The rest burst into cheers and applause. They were initially worried that Nico would be actually against the idea after all, but they realized the noble intentions behind Nico's words.

"As expected of Kotori-chan, nya!"

"That was amazing, Kotori-chan."

"Nico-chan didn't have to be so cold though."

"Yeah, but you know Nico-chan, She's either grossly cutesy, or just plain rude."

"Hey, I heard that Maki-chan!"

"Uh, guys? We haven't really finished the planning yet."

Kotori raised her voice to try and make the others get back on track, which, thankfully, was a quick task, with the help of Umi. The group still couldn't think of any ideas for helping Nozomi and Eli get together, as the idea was either inappropriate for the the pair's respective personalities, impractical, or downright impossible. However, an idea struck Kotori.

"Wait, maybe we don't _have_ to do anything." Kotori vaguely said

"Are you serious, then what are we even doing here-" Nico began to rant but Kotori wasn't finished explaining.

"No no no, I mean, we don't _have_ to do anything _directly_ , right?"

"You don't mean...?"

Kotori beckoned the girls closer, and explained the idea formed in her head. The others seemed to like the idea.

"It's perfect!"

"Why didn't I think of that?" Nico grumbled.

"Because you don't do it often." Maki snarkily said.

"Why you little-"

"Maki-chan is really savage today, nya!"

"S-savage?"

With the planning done, the discussion eventually became scattered and turned into the usual antics whenever the group was gathered, sans Nozomi and Eli. Soon after, the sun was setting and the others, that is Hanayo, Rin, Maki and Nico, had to leave before night fell. Kotori, Umi and Honoka had a bit more time, as their houses were much closer than the rest.

On their way out, Principal Minami quietly pulled aside Maki, who was rather alarmed when she asked for the phone number to their house, for a reason she'd rather not know.

* * *

With the rest gone, the room was left with three.

"That was really fun!" Honoka said.

"Yeah, perhaps µ's should meet more often outside of practice." Umi agreed.

"Hehe, not only that, secret meetings are so exciting!" Kotori giggled.

Umi's gaze pointed at her direction, and she had a small smile on her face.

"You've changed a lot, Kotori."

"What do you mean, Umi-chan?" Kotori tilted her head in puzzlement.

"You've become more sure of yourself. I think today has just proven that."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kotori asked, a little unsure.

"No, it's a good thing. I've come to cherish that part of you."

"Eh?" Did she just mishear what Umi said? Clearly not, as Umi quickly turned red, realizing what she had just said.

"Umi-chan..."

"A-ah, I don't mean I cherish you, well I do, but I really meant that I treasure... you? NO WAIT!" Umi seemed to be digging herself deeper, and Honoka was trying to contain her laughter.

"Thank you, Umi-chan." Kotori warmly smiled, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering rapidly. Umi nodded, not daring to speak any more.

Umi stiffly stood up, clearly intenally dying of embarassment.

"I'm sorry, but I have some errands my parents told, so I'll be going now." Umi said, if a bit robotically.

"Of course, should I go with you to the door?" Kotori offered.

"There's no need." Umi said, after a bit of hesitation.

"Okay."

With Umi gone, the only other person in the room was Honoka, who had a strangely smug expression on her face.

" 'A different kind of happiness', huh?" Honoka muttered, nodding sagely.

"Honoka-chan?" Kotori barely heard what she said.

"It's a shame," Honoka dramatically said " _I_ should've left before Umi-chan."

"Why?"

"So you'll be alone with your 'special someone', of course!" Honoka voiced, quoting Kotori's speech.

"H-Honoka-chan!" Kotori blushed crimson, knowing what Honoka implied.

"Oh crud, I forgot! Mom told me to buy groceries! Looks like I have to go, see ya Kotori-chan!" Honoka hastily said, before opening the door and dashing out.

With her last companion out, Kotori was left with her thoughts, blushing at what Honoka said.

 _One_ _issue_ _at a time, Kotori._

* * *

Meanwhile, some distance away...

"So... does that mean you technically have a sister, Maki-chan?"

"Y-you shut your face! T-that's not how it works!"

"That doesn't stop me."

"...shut up, Nico-chan."

* * *

A/N: I wrote this while listening to albums by the VAs of µ's , as well as the entire discography of µ's to inspire myself. It may or may not have worked. Oh well.

Sorry for the late posting! I was busy with schoolwork and exams, otherwise this would have been finished earlier.

ANYWAY, Seems like Principal Minami is quite interesting outside of school! Now Kotori makes more sense. (that's a joke, Kotori is fine.)

Next up, THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY! Don't worry, after that will be one more chapter to tie up loose ends.

Unfortunately, I will have to take quite a bit longer to write that part, as I'm running out of steam for the story, but fear not, as I'll make sure NOT to leave this story unfinished.

Up next, is the explanations and clarifications.

I have to address a question asked a few times. No, this story will NOT become M-rated. I don't feel that any of that fits into the story, and I lack experience in writing that kind of story anyway. Sorry for all those who wanted it, but again, this story will not become M.

You might notice that Kotori's father is barely mentioned, if at all. There's no particular reason for that, I just don't want to write a character not mentioned in canon. I could've written something in about Kotori being raised by her mother alone, it's somewhat implied, but I don't think specifically mentioning it would fit into the story all that well.

I have a tiny announcement to make. I'm making a bunch of new stories! They'll be featuring our favourite ocean dork, and they'll most likely be oneshots. It'll take some time to be finished, as I'll be focusing on finishing this story first.

Finally, Leave a review to tell me what you think of the story! It's much appreciated,

As always, until next time-

Thanks for reading!


	4. Romance and Revelations pt 1

A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay, writer's block and real life responsibilies got in the way. I hope you enjoy this extra-long chapter, and I'll post very soon the next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Romance and Revelations pt. 1**

* * *

She would never admit it out loud, but Nozomi dreaded Valentine's day.

She certainly didn't seem like the person to do so, but, to be fair, it wasn't like she hated it. In fact, a few times in the past, she had taken part in helping classmates confess to their crushes in both secretive, one-on-one confrontations, as well as cheesy over-the-top declarations of love. It was rather spiritual, in more ways than one, that a single special day gave people the courage to say their feelings, risking rejection, even humiliation, for a chance of happiness.

But Nozomi wasn't like those people.

She was fine like this, staying just friends with Eli, or at least, she thinks she is. She treasured her friendship with the blonde more than anything, even if she wanted something more than mere friendship. She didn't have the courage to take that risk because she was sure that Eli couldn't feel anything but friendship for her.

For now, this will have to do.

"Nozomi?"

The voice of her best friend and secret tormentor broke her free from her thoughts. Nozomi blinked, her eyes focusing to find Eli with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" She asked concernedly. Nozomi seemed rather deep in thought, deep enough that she failed to hear the ring of the lunch bell.

"No, I was just thinking." Nozomi smiled, which in turn, made Eli smile in relief.

"Come on, let's go have lunch." Eli said.

"Oh? So is that your way of asking me out on Valentine's?" Nozomi teased, her usual sly smile adorning her face.

"W-what? No! Stop teasing!" Eli's red face made Nozomi giggle.

"Eh, but it's fun~" Nozomi playfully smiled. Eli huffed.

"Fine then…" Nozomi turned to Eli, wondering why she trailed off.

"May I take you out for lunch, miss?" Eli exaggeratedly bowed and offered her hand to a chuckling Nozomi.

"Why yes, you may." Nozomi played along with the act, grabbing Eli's hand. Eli gave a bright smile that made Nozomi's heart skip a beat. She could see the affection in Eli's eyes, even if it was just platonic.

As they stepped out of the empty classroom, Nozomi could've sworn she heard a squawk of surprise. Eli seemed to have heard it as well, as Nozomi followed her gaze to the end of the hall, where she barely spotted a fluff of taupe fleeing around the corner.

"Was that Kotori?" Eli seemed to have thought of the same thing, but Nozomi could only answer with a shrug, as she wasn't sure of it either.

Eli didn't seem to think too much of it. "Come on, let's go have lunch." She tugged at Nozomi's hand, putting what thought the purple-haired girl had in the back of her mind.

* * *

"You go on ahead to the clubroom, Nozomi." Eli said.

"Eh, what about you? Aren't you going?" Nozomi asked.

"I am, it's just some troublesome clubs submitted some late forms to me today, so I'll just take them to the Student Council room. It'll be quick, I promise."

"Eh..." Eli chuckled at Nozomi's cute pout. "Fine, don't take too long." She puffed her cheeks as she said it.

Nozomi turned to leave for the clubroom, cheekily sticking her tongue out to a laughing Eli as she left.

Eli grabbed her bag and headed straight for the Student Council room, intent on finishing her task quickly. Before she could turn the corner...

"Senpai, please go out with me!"

With a tiny jump, Eli immediately realized what was happening and hid behind the corner. Taking a peek around the corner, she saw an underclassmen talking to one of her classmates. _Not talking, confessing._ Eli corrected herself. She continued to stay from her spot behind the corner, taking care not to make a noise and interrupt the moment. She may be the Student Council president, but she wasn't rude.

She couldn't hear her classmate's reply, but it seemed to be favorable reply, as the pair eventually separated in opposite directions. The younger girl ran past Eli with an elated smile, not noticing the blonde half-crouched behind the corner.

 _Looks like it all worked out in the end_. Eli smiled to herself. A quick check to see if the coast was clear, and then she continued on her way to the Student Council room.

 _I swear I've seen those two somewhere before._ A stray thought made its way into her mind, but Eli quickly dismissed it, knowing she wasn't particularly acquainted with anyone else outside of µ's.

Reaching the Student Council room, she immediately headed for the drawers, placing some of the forms in the to-do pile and filing the rest inside the drawers with expert precision. As she worked on properly arranging the files, Eli's idle thoughts strayed to Valentine's Day, and her experiences of it during the past few years.

Embarrassingly, she remembered becoming on the receiving end of quite a few boxes of chocolates. It took quite an effort on her part to try and reject the girls giving her gifts as tactfully as possible. Eli suddenly remembered some of the girls being much more accepting than others, almost understanding even. It was almost as if they knew their slim chances, for a reason Eli couldn't fathom.

 _But they seemed supportive after I rejected them, but for what?_ Eli still couldn't answer that.

Finished with her task, she took a quick look-over of the room just for the sake of cleanliness.

"Hmm?" Eli spotted something, but it wasn't in the room. The blonde stepped closer to the window to take a closer look at what she saw. Two girls were sitting under the trees just outside the school. A couple, Eli figured, seeing as they were rather intimately close to each other. Thankfully it was nothing inappropriate, as they were still technically within school grounds and Eli didn't particularly want to reprimand them.

Eli suddenly felt an unfamiliar feeling form in her gut, and yet she recognized was jealous, She forced herself to look away from the pair, feeling more uncomfortable the longer she looked.

 _What is going on with me?_ Eli thought apprehensively. It wasn't normal for her to feel jealous of watching couples, and she knew it. There wasn't even a reason for it to happen, yet it did. Eli didn't feel like she was acting normally at all lately. There wasn't anything that happened either. The only thing out of place in their usual routine that happened recently was the New Year's shrine visit, and that was ages ago.

 _But nothing happened there either. Nozomi just happened to take her teasing too far, and we ended up almost..._ Eli's eyes widened, and she couldn't finish the thought from the heat rising to cheeks.

 _W-what am I thinking?! It was just a joke, a tease, nothing else. Right?_

Eli shook her head to clear her thoughts, letting out a deep sigh as she did so. She didn't even want to think about it.

She made her way out of the Student Council room, only to almost bump into a girl, who let out a small squeak of surprise.

"Ayase-san?" The black-haired girl spoke, her voice trembling as much as she was herself. Eli blinked in response, slightly confused as to why the girl, who seemed to be a first-year, would be standing outside the Student Council room. Her next words, however, immediately answered that question.

"I've admired you for a very long time ever since I've entered this school. That's why, Ayase-san..."

Eli almost wished she didn't know what the girl was going to say.

"Please, accept my feelings!" the girl yelled as she pulled a wrapped box of chocolates.

* * *

Nozomi suddenly felt a small sense of dread rise up in her chest on the way to the clubroom. It felt as if something bad was about to happen, or worse, that it already has. She tried to keep that thought away from the forefront of her mind as she reached the Idol Research clubroom, only to open the door and find absolutely no one inside.

That's definitely not good.

Pulling out one of the many empty chairs, Nozomi just about collapsed into it as she tried to process everything that had happened today. Her friends were absolutely nowhere to be found, and the few that she could find, didn't have any useful info. And now, it felt like Eli was taking too long just to file a bunch of papers. Nozomi let out a worry-filled sigh.

An idea sprouted in her mind. She pulled out her tarot cards, in hopes that at least the spirits of fortune can shed some light into her situation. Shuffling with dexterity, she put down the deck and drew one from its top. Nozomi frowned when she read the card in her hands.

 _A great change will occur._

Nozomi's best interpretation of the card only served to worry the purple-haired girl even more. Change can go both ways, in good and bad ways. Nozomi thought back to all the changes in her life. From constantly moving with her parents, to settling alone, changes in her life certainly weren't few and far. Yet a particular change that stuck out in her mind was in her friends.

It wouldn't seem obvious to the casual onlooker, but Nozomi knew better. She felt as though μ's had been avoiding her and Eli, as though they had a secret that they've been keeping from the two of them. Kotori was the first person she noticed though. She suddenly remembered their short encounter during one of their earlier sub-unit practices. Kotori had been acting odd back then too.

 _So when did it all start_?

Nozomi knew she shouldn't feel so suspicious of her own friends, but she couldn't help it under the current circumstances. They talked just a few weeks before, and she seemed okay then, and the only particular thing that happened before _that_ was their collective visit to the shrine during the New Year.

Her eyes widened in realization. Nozomi faintly recalled Kotori talking to Umi and Honoka in a hushed tone after she ended up being chased by Eli. After she took back her confession. Kotori must've seen through her ruse of making it all look like one big joke. There was no other way that the taupe-haired girl could have known her feelings for Eli.

Nozomi felt a cocktail of emotions right now. She was almost sure that Kotori and the others were planning to do something with the intent of bringing her and Eli together. A small spark of hope arose within her, that maybe their plan will work, but her own pessimism only served to smother it.

Before she could stop herself, she had already stood up to leave, intent on stopping them before she was left with one of her treasured friendships shattered to pieces.

She didn't have to go far, as the door opened to reveal the very person she was looking for in the first place.

"Nozomi-chan?" Kotori said.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, but I can't accept this." Eli said as politely as she could, her expression sympathetic. She could see the smaller girl slouch, obviously upset by her response.

"No good, huh?" The girl muttered. A minute had barely passed before she suddenly brightened up, surprising Eli,

"Then I'll keep supporting you from afar!" She pumped her fist energetically, making the box of chocolates shake from the sudden motion. Eli only gaped in confusion and in slight familiarity of the action.

Eli was left completely bewildered by the girl's 180 in attitude. Just a few seconds ago she was sad from her rejection, now she's supportive? And cheerful?

"What do you mean by 'support'?" She asked. Just as quickly the girl turned sheepish, apparently having said something out of turn.

"E-eheh... by support I meant support you in your future... endeavors?" The girl seemed unsure of her own words. Eli only looked at her suspiciously.

"Oh wow, look at the time, gotta go.. uh... support you from a distance! BYE!" The girl seemed to leave a dust trail as she dashed away, as if the confession had never happened.

Eli was left far more confused than before. What was the point of all that? Did she even mean the confession at all? Did she even have feelings for Eli in the first place? Either way, she was certainly a character from what she could tell. But what _did_ she mean by support her? What did Eli need support for? Yet again Eli was left in the dark, and she hated the dark.

Eli's thoughts wandered to the topic of confessions yet again. It certainly wasn't an inappropriate time to think about it, given the special occasion, and yet she couldn't keep it out of her mind lately.

 _I need to talk to someone about this._ Eli thought. The entire concept of confessions still seemed like a foreign concept to her, despite being on the receiving end more than few times. But who could she talk to? She didn't have any close confidants outside of μ's, and the members of μ's themselves were rather difficult to talk to for that particular topic.

Honoka, Hanayo, and Rin honestly were sweet, but they seemed more like the ones to confess first, so they couldn't exactly relate to her, to be honest. Kotori, as much as Eli wanted to put in the first list, she had a feeling that talking to her would be an experience that Eli would _not_ want to deal with right now. Nico was just... Nico. Umi and Maki seemed like the better choice. They were rather like-minded, but talking to Maki felt like it'd be like talking to a brick wall, not that Eli could talk. Umi wasn't any better, if she tried to talk to the girl, she might end up shutting down like a prudish computer, leaving only one person, her best friend Nozomi.

 _Has Nozomi even been confessed to?_ Eli wondered. She was a special case in Eli's mind. She couldn't place Nozomi as the one confessing, nor the one being confessed to. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she felt. She didn't like the idea of Nozomi confessing nor being confessed to by someone else. Eli let out a small growl at the thoughts running across her mind.

 _Wait, why am I getting so worked up over_ this? Eli suddenly realized. She didn't have the right to restrict Nozomi from such things. It almost sounded like she was jealous, but she wasn't, was she?

 _I guess I'm gonna have to talk to Umi or Maki about this._ She didn't want to keep Nozomi waiting, but she didn't want to talk to her about the topic with her own thoughts in a whirl about the purple-haired girl.

"Eli."

The blonde turned to find Umi and Maki behind her, Umi looking rather miffed for an unknown reason.

"Umi! Maki! Can I...uh...talk to you about something in private?" She asked the two. She wanted to make sense of her own feelings as soon as possible.

The two shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them in a short span, about what Eli couldn't tell.

"Alright then." Maki finally said.

"Should we talk somewhere else?" Umi offered. Eli raised an eyebrow.

"Sure? Where do you think we should talk?" Eli asked. "How about one of the classrooms? They're empty at this time in the afternoon."

"Hmm." Maki seemed to take a moment to think about it before shaking her head in reply. "No, I think it'd be better if we just used the roof for this."

"Why the rooftop? Can't we just talk in an empty classroom?" Eli asked warily.

"We thought you might need more privacy, since I'm sure you wouldn't want whatever you want to talk about getting overheard, since you looked worked up when we found you."

Eli sighed at her words. Maki was still right, suspicious choice of place aside.

"Lead the way then." Eli finally agreed.

Umi nodded and beckoned the two to follow her to the rooftop.

As they made their way towards the rooftop, Eli couldn't shake the feeling that a few big things were about to happen, and she just happened to end up in the middle of it all.

* * *

The air was charged with tension. Kotori and Nozomi stared each other down, the purple-haired girl's expression somber, unfitting for the normally cheerful girl. Nozomi's gaze followed Kotori across the room as she walked toward one of the chairs across from her.

She gestured for Nozomi to return to her seat, before taking a seat herself.

A short silence followed.

"How long have you known?" Kotori began.

"To be honest, just now." Nozomi gave a small smile, but her face looked pained.

"Nozomi-chan, before you say anything, I just wanted t-"

"I know, and I thank you for it, Kotori-chan." Kotori seemed surprised by her words.

"Then why are you so against it?"

"I'm not against it." Nozomi clarified. "It's just that your plan won't work."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't force someone like Eli to settle for someone like me." Nozomi said the words she had told herself all those years ago, the day she realized her feelings for Eli.

"What do you mean?" Kotori asked, not comprehending the words Nozomi was saying. Nozomi only gave a sad smile.

"Elicchi...Eli- she's like the sun, you know? Radiant, dazzling, and bright. Her many sides are what I've always loved about her. She can be the cool and mature Student Council President one second, and be the clever and cute Elichika the next. She's so many things and people love her."

Nozomi let out a bitter laugh. "Compared to her, I'm simply...me. I can't do the things she can do. The only reason I've gotten this far is because I keep clinging to her. I'm just the moon, shining only because it reflects the light of the sun. Elicchi has no need to keep burdening herself being with me, when she can do so much better."

Nozomi couldn't hold back tears from falling. She tried to wipe them away yet more followed.

A harsh screech of a chair made Nozomi look up.

"You're wrong, Nozomi-chan." Kotori had a determined look on her face.

"You're not just you, you're our Nozomi-chan. You're kind, thoughtful, and pretty! You're amazing in your own special way. You can stop arguments from getting worse. You comfort us whenever we feel sad. Not only that, but without your help, μ's wouldn't be where it is today. So don't say you're not special, Nozomi-chan! The night is dark and scary without the light of the moon."

Nozomi was left agape at Kotori 's speech. She knew in her heart that Kotori spoke for the others when she said it. Her determined expression reminiscent of Honoka's only made it all the more believable. If she can believe in her friends, and her friends truly believed in her, then that means that she can believe in herself too, right?

Nozomi smiled, a genuine smile this time. "C'mere." She spread her arms out in invitation. Kotori returned her grin, and ran around the table to hug Nozomi.

"Thank you for being so kind, Kotori-chan." She said, her arms wrapped around the taupe-haired girl. Kotori giggled when they released their hug.

"Oh, and you're wrong on another thing, Nozomi-chan." Kotori said.

"What do you mean?" Nozomi raised an eyebrow.

"Nozomi-chan's already the best, so Eli definitely can't do better!" Kotori joked, making Nozomi laugh.

"That sounds like something Nicocchi would say."

Kotori scratched her neck sheepishly.

"Well, she told me to say it..."

Nozomi laughed, with Kotori shortly following after. Their laughter eventually died down and then Nozomi suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, that's right. Kotori-chan, what were you all planning to do anyway?" Nozomi curiously asked. Kotori's eyes widened slightly in surprise, quickly replaced by hesitation and embarassment.

"Well, to be honest, we figured you'd find out eventually, but not so soon." Nozomi's eyebrow raised at that.

"Sounds like you give my intuition too much credit then." She responded in amusement.

"We didn't think so at the time, so we actually..." Kotori's words began zigzagging. "..planned around you...?"

Nozomi's eyes narrowed.

"So your entire plan revolved around me not knowing? I know that's the point of a secret plan, but that doesn't sound exactly nice, you know."

"NO! I mean, yeah." Kotori conceded. "Our plan would probably look obvious to you, so we tried not to do anything weird around you. Most of our effort was focused on Eli-chan."

"Efforts? Efforts on what?" Kotori's words seemed to linger in her mouth, obviously hesitating to say it.

"We may have asked some couples in school to act lovey-dovey around her, and also..." Kotori was looking everywhere except directly at Nozomi. "We faked a confession?"

That last one sounded more like a question.

"Seriously?" Nozomi asked in slight disbelief, and a hint of trepidation. "What'd she say?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't heard back from the others since the time they said Eli got to the Student Council room."

As she said it, the door of the clubroom burst open to reveal an excited Rin dragging along a clearly exhausted Nico.

"Slow down... Couldn't we have just texted Kotori?" gasped Nico, before sprawling out beside the doorway.

"There's no time! Kotori-chan, Honoka-chan messed up her part but Umi-chan and Maki-chan got Eli-chan to- NYAHA?! What's Nozomi-chan doing here?" Rin finally noticed the purple-haired girl looking on in confusion.

"It's okay, it's okay." Kotori quickly said, her hands raised. Nico looked up from her spot.

"Looks like she found out, huh?"

Kotori chuckled. "Nozomi-chan's just too good."

"Hey, I'm still here you know." Nozomi smiled wryly. Rin's puzzled gaze went between the three of them.

"Nozomi-chan knows? Isn't that bad, nya?"

"Not really, we figured that Nozomi would find out eventually, so our plan just focused on Eli." Nico explained. "Didn't you notice our plan didn't have anything on Nozomi?"

Rin smiled sheepishly- or cattily, in her case.

"I was just enjoying being sneaky, nya."

Nico would've facepalmed if she wasn't spent from being dragged by Rin.

"What were you saying, Rin-chan?" Kotori asked, trying to bring back the main topic.

"Hmm? Oh right, Honoka-chan messed up her script, but Eli-chan didn't notice. She's talking to Umi-chan and Maki-chan right nyow." Rin quickly reported.

"So they're on the rooftop? Perfect!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Wait, you mean Honoka's the one who faked the confession?" Nozomi asked incredulously.

"Yep! She had a disguise too and everything." Kotori suddenly realized something. "Where _is_ Honoka-chan?" She asked Rin, peering around the doorway as if expecting her orange-haired friend to pop up.

"She's in the restroom with Hanayo getting cleaned up, the wig got tangled on her hair." Rin explained.

"Eh? Honoka-chan..." Kotori and Nozomi chuckled both in sympathy and amusement, mostly amusement. Kotori clapped her hands and turned to Nozomi

"Okay, it's time! Nozomi, now's your chance!" Kotori said.

"E-eh, now? I'm doing it now?" Nozomi suddenly became reluctant. Kotori almost looked offended.

"Of course you're doing it now! Why else would we plan it on Valentine's? Now come on, I think they're almost done talking." Kotori excitedly beckoned to Nozomi.

"How did you get Eli to the rooftop anyway?" She asked as she managed to stand up.

"Oh, it was nothing. I guess that she had a lot of things on her mind, so she had to get some... consultation~" Kotori grinned. Nozomi had to smile at that.

"Looks like my cute little underclassmen are growing up clever!" Nozomi scooped up Kotori and Rin into a hug.

"Oy, I helped too you know?" Nico called out from her spot on the floor.

"Of course, of course. Want to join in?" Nozomi offered making space for a spot in her hug.

Nico gave a grin. "Maybe later. Save it for the blonde dork."

Nozomi smirked at that. "Maybe I will then." Releasing the two from her clutches, she took a deep breath to relax.

"Okay, I'm ready." She was determined to do this.

"Alright! We'll be cheering for you!" Kotori said.

"Yeah, you can do this, nya!" Rin followed.

Nozomi headed for the door, only to pause and turn to the room.

"Thank you, everyone, for everything you've done for me." She said completely sincerely.

"It's no problem, Nozomi-chan. We're just repaying what you've done for us." Kotori replied.

Nozomi smiled and nodded, turning to actually leave. She was almost out of sight of the clubroom until she remembered something she couldn't resist bringing up.

"Hey, Kotori-chan!" She yelled. Kotori's head popped up from behind the door.

"Eh? Nozomi-chan?"

"You'll get your turn too sometime!" Nozomi hollered. Kotori's expression quickly became confused.

"E-eh? What do you mean?"

Nozomi didn't answer, giving only a peace sign as a reply.

 _Kotori will have_ _to figure that one herself!_

She climbed up the stairs, before encountering Umi and Maki on her way up.

"Oh, it's Umi-chan and Maki-chan."

The two was slightly surprised to see her, but quickly got over it, giving a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile for Nozomi, which she returned with a nod and a smile. Nozomi definitely noticed a little flush in Umi's cheeks, but decided not to ask, knowing that whatever the three girls talked about on the roof would be a have to stay a secret between them

 _Maybe Umi finally had her own epiphany too._ Nozomi smiled at the thought. She continued to ascend the stairs, prepared to finally talk to Eli.

Perhaps this time, Valentine's Day won't be all that bad.

* * *

 _Okay, you can do this, Eli._

Unlike Nozomi, Eli was a completely nervous, completely unprepared wreck. As she paced back and forth the rooftop, she thought of the minutes leading to this moment. Thanks to the rather enlightening talk she had with Umi and Maki, she realized the reason for her internal conflicts was because of anenormous crush on her best friend, and now she was preparing to confess to her with encouragement from the two. Now she felt the feeling her admirers get when they try to confess to her. It felt dreadful.

Eli definitely didn't feel clever nor cute at all right now. She couldn't believe it took someone literally saying to her face just to realize that she had non-platonic feelings for her closest friend.

 _But at least I'm not the only one, right? Right?_ She tried to justify to herself.

The talk Eli, Umi and Maki had revealed quite a few things about themselves. Well, to be fair, it was more of her and Umi than it was Maki, as she seemed to just be there for moral support and didn't say much, not that she needed to anyway.

 _What's surprising was Umi. She would never be able to talk about things like this._ Umi seemed far more composed than normal, seeing as she managed to talk about love and romance for more than two minutes without fainting. The girl couldn't even handle a romance movie, for crying out loud. It almost seemed like she was asked to talk to Eli.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that not a hair nor head could be found of any other µ's member for the entire day. The only other members she'd seen were her own classmates. Nozomi knew absolutely nothing about it, seeing as she asked Eli about it as well. Nico, on the other hand, definitely knew something, but good luck trying to pry it from her.

Or maybe it had something to do with that fluff of hair she and Nozomi saw earlier hiding from them in the hallway. That was definitely Kotori, now that she remembered. There wasn't any real reason for Kotori to go to the third-year classrooms, and even if there was, she didn't have to hide-

 _Wait..._ Eli's eyes widened. _Of course! They must be planning to do something secretly without me and Nozomi. And today's Valentine's Day, so if they were,then they must have been planning to- Oh. Oh they're good._

Eli would have almost been impressed by their plan, if not for the fact that the result ended up in her planning to confess to her best friend. Out of her volition, of course.

 _Ah, what am I going to do? I have absolutely no idea what to do!_ Eli panicked. She didn't have a plan at all. It wasn't like she'd done this confessing thing before, but she didn't have a reason to before either.

 _Do I just, like, say it?_ Eli wanted to smack herself for that dumb idea. That was probably the worst way to do it. Why of all times can't she think of anything to say? This should have a been a cakewalk for a Student Council president who has had to make several speeches before, yet the thought of failing left Eli's normally organized thoughts in a jumble.

 _You know what, I should do it tomorrow. But today's like the best time. Maybe I should-_

"Elicchi?"

 _She's here!_

Eli froze stock still when she heard that voice behind her. She turned around, managing to muster an awkward smile.

"N-Nozomi, how did you know I was here?"

"I just knew." Nozomi smiled.

Eli gulped when she noticed that Nozomi seemed much more beautiful to Eli, despite looking exactly the same. _It's obviously your crush on her, you dolt._

The purple-haired girl made her way to Eli and took a seat against the wall of the roof. She patted the ground next to her, inviting the standing Eli to sit next to her. It takes Eli a moment to respond, but Nozomi apparently didn't feel like waiting, as she grabbed and tugged one of Eli's hands, eliciting a small noise of surprise from the blonde as she was pulled to the floor with Nozomi.

"I was gonna sit down, jeez." Eli said.

Nozomi just giggled in reply. Her laughter eventually trailed off, leaving a rather uncomfortable silence in its wake. The air surrounding them suddenly felt strange, almost dry. Neither of them didn't say a word, both suddenly not knowing what to say.

Eli glanced sideways at Nozomi, . Her eyes were cast downwards toward the floor, and her lips were pursed. It seems that Eli wasn't the only one deep in thought. Eli brought her thoughts back to where it all began, and it was then that she found the words to say.

"Can you believe it's been three years?"

"Hmm?" Nozomi turned to look at Eli in slight puzzlement.

"Three years since we've first met," Eli chuckled at the memory. "Who knew you used to be so shy?"

Nozomi pouted. "Hey, like you're one to talk! Elicchi used to be really unfriendly."

"H-hey, I just didn't know how to talk to people at the time, alright?" Eli sat upright in slight protest. She wasn't exactly the social butterflu back then. She wasn't particularly one now, but being the Student Council president meant she had to adapt.

"It's just, wow, you know?" Eli sunk back into a comfortable position against the wall. "Back then, I didn't think anything would happen in high school. Then all of a sudden, we're in the student council, then after that, I become president and you the vice-president. Now, we're part of µ's."

"Yeah." Nozomi agreed, a smile adorning her face.

"I don't think I've properly thanked you, Nozomi."

"Eh? Thank me for what?" Nozomi looked bewildered.

"For everything," Eli said honestly. "All of that couldn't have happened without you. Ever since that day you've talked to me at the stairs, you've been with me since then. I'm pretty sure you know me as well as Arisa does." Eli laughed a little as she said this. "You were my first friend in Otonokizaka. You went with me to be part of the Student Council, and you helped Honoka create µ's. Sure, I was little mad that you went behind my back for it, but I"m grateful for it. You've helped me, no, helped _us_ so much, Nozomi."

Eli turned to look at Nozomi directly.

"Thank you Nozomi, for everything."

Nozomi was completely speechless. Her chest was pounding as Eli's heartfelt words rang in her mind.

"E-eh? Where's all this sappy talk coming from?" She could only say.

"From my heart." Eli said truthfully. The positive reaction she got from Nozomi gave her the courage to carry on with her next words.

"Truth be told, I don't think I could imagine life without you." Eli heard Nozomi's breath hitch at her words. "You're amazing, Nozomi. You're kind, caring, and so thoughtful, it's almost scary. You always seem to know what to say in every situation. You've stopped more arguments than anyone I've known. You can keep a cool head when everyone else couldn't. I've always admired you, and I can't believe it took me this long to realize my feelings."

Eli took Nozomi's trembling hands within hers as she looked directly as Nozomi's green eyes.

"I love you, Toujou Nozomi."

Eli instinctively held her breath, awaiting her response. She was met with a small sob as Nozomi began crying.

"N-Nozomi!?" Eli said, alarmed by her tears. Her hands hovered around Nozomi as she was unsure what to do.

Nozomi hurriedly wiped away her tears, giving a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm just..." She gave a small laugh as she wiped away an errant tear from her face. "I'm just really happy Elicchi loves me too."

"You mean-"

With a nod and a smile, Nozomi returned Eli's gesture and gently took the blonde's hands, entwining them with hers.

"I love you too, Ayase Eli."

Their smiles were the brightest they've ever been, because now, they found the person that could give them the happiness unlike any other, and it was always right in front of them.


End file.
